


The Beginning of Believing

by Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Crushes, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/pseuds/Sparklyfairymira
Summary: It's time for the Delinquents' Christmas and when Clarke doesn't want to make the drive alone with her six-year-old foster daughter Madi, she asks Bellamy to make the drive with her. A storm strands them overnight at a hotel. And they decide to pretend to be dating to get Octavia off of Bellamy's back. Nothing could go wrong, right?
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106
Collections: Bellarke Secret Santa 2020





	The Beginning of Believing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clarkesplaylist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkesplaylist/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Julie!!!! I really hope that you like this!!! This was written for the Bellarke Secret Santa 2020 for Julie and I decided to go all-in on the tropes. 
> 
> I am currently accepting prompts (as a writer and creator) via t100fic4blm Initative. If you're interested in prompting me or one of our other amazing writers/creators or you just want to know what the hell it is, please check out [our carrd here](t100fic-for-blm.carrd.co) to see what we're all about. Is there a New Years' story you want to read? A song you KNOW needs to be made into a video? Or want a fic trailer done for your fic (because I'm getting quite good at those lol). If you want to donate, but don't know what to prompt we've got you covered there too with our new prompt board.
> 
> If you're interested in seeing what else I'm writing and what my planned publication dates for that is, please check out my Tumblr post [HERE](https://sparklyfairymira.tumblr.com/post/632973715782729728/prompt-fic-updates).

Clarke pulls up to Bellamy’s apartment building, parking the car before shooting him a text to let him know that they’re there. She glances at the rearview mirror to check on Madi, finding the six-year-old coloring in her new favorite coloring book. Clarke closes her eyes and lets out a soft sigh.

It’s two days until Christmas and they’re on their way to the Griffin cabin for what has been dubbed The Delinquents Christmas. It’s a tradition that they started in college that they’ve carried over into adulthood. Lately, it seems to be the only time that they can get the whole group together, seeing as they don’t all live in the same town anymore.

She, Bellamy, Miller, and Octavia are the only ones that have remained in Arkadia. Emori, Raven, and Murphy had moved to Polis, which is only about an hour away, a few years before when Raven had gotten a job offer that they couldn’t refuse. When they’d graduated, Monty had landed a job in Shadow Valley, five hours away. Harper had of course gone with him, but so had Jasper and Maya. 

At first, they’d been able to get together fairly frequently, but then people started getting married and having kids. And honestly? Lives that didn’t revolve around their college friends. They’re all still close and that’s why Christmas is so important. This way at least once a year they know that they’ll get together.

Clarke had been hesitant to attend this year—even though it’s held at her family’s cabin. Madi isn’t her biological daughter and she’d just started fostering her in January. Madi has of course met Bellamy and Octavia, but she’s never been around the whole group and large groups of people can be hard on Madi. When she’d mentioned this in the group chat it became abundantly clear that there was no way she was getting out of Christmas. 

So she’d begged Bellamy to wait an extra day and ride up with them. Number one, she didn’t want to make an eight-hour road trip with a six-year-old on her own, but also she wanted to spend the time with Bellamy. For the last few months he’d been dating this woman Gina and hadn’t been able to be around as much—which Clarke completely understands, she just doesn’t like it. But since their break-up a few weeks ago, she figured that Bellamy wouldn’t want to make the drive alone or tag along with his pregnant sister and brother-in-law. 

There’s a knock on the window, pulling Clarke from her thoughts. She glances up to see Bellamy grinning at her, gesturing to the back of the car. She pops the trunk and waits for him to toss his bags in there. 

Bellamy leans over to hug her before he’s even closed the door. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Clarke doesn’t bother fighting her smile.

“Hey, Madi,” Bellamy calls as he pulls the door shut and puts his seatbelt on before twisting around to hold his hand out to her.

Madi slaps her hand onto his open palm with a grin. “Hey, Bell.” 

Clarke shakes her head as she glances over her shoulder to make sure that it’s clear to pull out. For whatever reason, Madi has refused to call Bellamy by his full name, instead choosing to call him Bell. Bellamy swears up and down that he doesn’t mind—after all, it’s what Octavia called him for years.

“So how are you?” Clarke asks once Bellamy and Madi have caught up. 

Bellamy shrugs. “I’m alright. Honestly? I feel like I should be more upset about the breakup than I am. I guess that just means it wasn’t right.”

“Yeah.” Clarke glances at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the road. He doesn’t  _ look _ upset so maybe he’s not. A part of Clarke is delighted by this fact because she’s been in love with Bellamy for years.

“Let me know if you need me to drive.”

Clarke leans forward, looking up at the sky for a moment. It’s been snowing for the last hour or so and she’s really hoping that they can beat the storm that’s supposed to hit later tonight. “I’m good for now, but will do.”

Bellamy’s phone goes off, so Clarke goes back to singing along to the radio. It’s not nearly as loud as she usually plays it, but she doesn’t want to blow out Madi’s eardrums. Her life has changed so much since Madi had come into her life, but she can’t seem to find it in herself to care. She loves Madi as much as if she were her own and making a few minor adjustments in her life pales in comparison to that love.

“Sometimes I’d like to kill my sister,” Bellamy scoffs, tossing his phone into the cupholder.

Clarke snorts. “What did she do now?”

“Now she’s trying to set me up with some woman from one of her workout classes.” Bellamy laughs. “On the one hand, I get it. I’m not getting any younger and she wants me to be settled and happy like she is. On the other hand, it makes me want to throttle her. I don’t need her to set me up. I can find my own women to date.”

“Have you told her that?”

“Of course I’ve told her that.” Bellamy laughs. “But you know my sister. Until I’m dating someone she’s never going to let up.”

Clarke knows both Octavia and that this is an accurate statement. “Well, just tell her you’re dating someone.”

“That would be a great idea if she would believe me. If I just tell her that I met someone she’ll just say that I’m just saying that to get her off my back—which I would be.”

“That’s true,” Clarke hums. She glances in the rearview mirror to see if Madi is paying attention to them. She’s not. She has her headphones on and is watching something on Clarke’s tablet. Clarke bites her lip. This is a terrible idea—she knows that. “Well, tell her that we’re dating.”

“I’m sorry what?” 

Clarke sees Bellamy’s head jerk toward her out of the corner of her eye and she wishes that she could see his phone. The shock in his voice alone makes her want to giggle. She shrugs. “We tell Octavia that we’re dating and she’ll lay off of you. That’ll leave you free of her nagging while you find someone new.”

“Okay, there are a few problems with this,” Bellamy pauses. “Assuming that you’re serious.”

Clarke laughs. “Yes, I’m serious. So what are the problems?”

“Number one, we’d have to tell  _ everyone _ that we’re dating.”

Clarke shrugs. “So? Who cares? They’re all a bunch of nosy brats anyway. It serves them right. Next.” 

Bellamy is quiet for a long moment and she can feel his eyes on her. “Okay, number two: that means we’ll have to act like we’re dating.”

“Again, so?” Clarke glances over at Bellamy for a moment. “I mean unless you find the idea of dating me that repulsive.”

“Shut up.” Bellamy sighs. “Of course you’re not repulsive.”

“Okay, so are there more problems that I need to tell you aren’t problems?” Clarke drums her fingers on the steering wheel. 

Why is she doing this? She’s head over heels in love with her best friend and she’s offering to pretend to date him. That is not going to help her get over being in love with him—in fact, it’ll probably make it worse. She’s an idiot.

“Well, what happens when I meet someone and we have to break up? How are we going to explain that we’re still friends?”

“Easy. We either tell everyone we’ve been faking it or we just say that we’re better as friends.” Clarke glances over at him once more. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

“What about Madi?”

That one gives Clarke pause. She hasn’t dated at all since taking in Madi—not for lack of options or the fact that she’s in love with her best friend. No, it’s really just been because she hasn’t had the time. Having a child, especially one who needs extra attention, takes up all of her free time.

She bites her lip. This is her out. She can save herself—all she needs to do is say that he’s right, this is a bad idea. Instead, she says, “We tell her.”

“She’s six, Clarke,” Bellamy says drolly. “You expect her to lie to everyone?”

“We’ll make it a game or—I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.” She huffs out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Look, if you don’t want to then just say so.”

“It’s not that.” Bellamy lays his hand on her arm. “I just don’t want to make life any harder for you.”

Clarke laughs. “This isn’t going to make my life any harder.” 

_ Liar.  _ Clarke rolls her eyes as the thought races through her mind. Whatever. So what if she’s lying to herself. She wants to make Bellamy’s life easier—it’s not like it’ll make her life that much harder. 

“Well, if you’re sure…” Bellamy trails off, hand still on her arm.

Clarke shoots him a quick smile. “I’m sure.”

“Okay, well, I guess we’re dating then.” Bellamy finally takes his hand from her arm and she immediately misses its warmth.

Holy shit, she is a complete and utter moron. This is a terrible idea and Bellamy gave her so many outs, but did she take anyone of them? Nope, she sure didn’t. It’s fine. It’ll be fine. 

Or at least that’s what she tells herself as she focuses on the drive as the snow begins to fall harder. For now, she just needs to focus on getting them to the cabin in one piece.

* * *

Bellamy jerks awake as the car swerves. He glances around him and sees that it’s snowing so hard he can barely see five feet out. “Ummm, Clarke?”

“It’s fine, there was just a tree branch in the road. Didn’t want to hit it,” Clarke replies without looking at him. She’s hunched over the steering wheel, completely focused on the road.

Bellamy shakes his head. “Yeah, that’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about the fact that you’re apparently driving in a blizzard.”

Clarke shrugs but doesn’t reply. 

Bellamy wants to yell at her, but he doesn’t. Not only did she let him sleep while she continued driving, but she continued driving when it’s obvious that she shouldn’t be. He loves Clarke—more than he should, but that’s neither here nor there—but sometimes he would like to throttle her for her stubbornness. 

He takes a deep breath before speaking. “I think we should pull over.”

“No, we still have four hours left. I don’t want to waste any time.”

Bellamy glances at the odometer and sees that she’s only driving about twenty miles per hour and snorts. “Clarke, going at that speed it will take us a lot longer than four hours.” A sign catches his eye. “Oh look, there’s a hotel at the next exit. Why don’t we grab some rooms and just stay the night? We shouldn’t be driving in this, especially not with Madi in the car.”

Clarke’s shoulders drop and he knows that she’s going to agree with him. “Fine, but we’re leaving first thing.”

“Of course.” Bellamy turns to look out the window so that she can’t see him laughing. 

Clarke pulls off the exit and heads toward the semi-run down motel which is the only thing around except for a gas station. It’s not somewhere that he would usually suggest that they stop, but with this weather, they don’t really have a choice.

When Clarke pulls up to a stop in front of the office she turns to him, wrinkling her nose. “You want us to stay here?”

“We really don’t have any other options, Princess.” Bellamy glances at the office before he shrugs. “You and Madi stay here. I’ll run in and get us some rooms.” 

As Bellamy gets out of the car, he glances around the parking lot. There are a lot of cars here. He really hopes that they can get some rooms. He dashes into the office, shaking the snow from his hair as soon as the door shuts behind him.

“Hello, sweetheart.” A kindly older woman smiles from her perch behind the desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Well,” Bellamy grimaces. “I was hoping that we might be able to get rooms for the night? The weather got worse than expected, so we had to pull over.”

The woman’s smile drops slightly as she sighs. “I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is I have a room. The bad news is I only have one room.”

Bellamy shrugs. “Does it at least have two beds?”

“Yes, yes it does.” The woman laughs. “I take it that will work for you?”

Bellamy nods. “It will.” He gives the woman his information before taking the key. “Thank you very much.” He pauses. “Is there anywhere to get food close by?”

“Sadly, no.” The woman shakes her head. “And all of the delivery will have shut down by now. But the rooms do have microwaves and the gas station should have something that you can warm up.”

“That’ll work just fine. Thank you again.” Bellamy nods before ducking out the door and hurriedly making his way to the car. He grins at Clarke. “Good news, they have a room.”

“A room?” she repeats.

“Yes, that’s what I said.” Bellamy laughs. “We’re going to be the last room on the end. Also, there is no place for food but she says that the rooms do come with microwaves and that the gas station should have something that we can work with.”

Clarke glances at the clock which draws Bellamy’s attention to it as well. It’s nearly five so they will need to worry about food—he’s glad he thought to ask. “I guess we should’ve left earlier.”

“Well, you live and learn right?” Bellamy shrugs, settling back into his seat as Clarke carefully backs the car out of the spot. She parks directly in front of their room and he hands her the key.

“You and Madi go ahead and go inside. I didn’t think to ask if the heat would be on already. I’ll grab the bags and meet you inside, okay?” He glances at Clarke before turning around to check on Madi. The younger girl just shrugs as she takes off her seatbelt. 

“Thank you, Bellamy.” Clarke smiles. “Just grab the purple suitcase, please? It’s the only one that we’ll need.”

Bellamy pushes open his door and heads for the trunk, hearing it pop just before he reaches it. He throws it open and he’s glad that Clarke thought to tell him which bag to grab. He grabs the bag that he’ll need and moves things around to grab the purple bag that Clarke had requested. There’s only two of them so why do they need five bags? Women—he’ll never understand them.

He slams the trunk shut and sees that Clarke and Madi have already made it inside, leaving the door slightly ajar for him. He hurries in, not wanting to let any more cold air in than necessary. 

As he shuts the door he takes a minute to look around the room—which isn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought it would be. It’s not the Ritz, but he’s definitely stayed in worse places. Everything is a little bit older, a little bit worn—but it’s clean and that’s what matters. The heat is also already on; as soon as he shuts the door he can feel himself warming up immediately.

Madi is standing at the end of one of the beds, staring at it intently.

“You okay, Madi?” Bellamy asks as he sets the bags down on the bed closest to the door.

Madi glances up at him, brow furrowed but does say anything. She turns to Clarke, pulling on her sleeve so that Clarke leans down. She whispers something that Bellamy can’t hear.

“That’s okay.” Clarke presses a kiss to the top of Madi’s head. “Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll go run to the gas station and get us some food.”

“Okay.” Madi gives Clarke a hesitant smile before walking over to the suitcase and unzipping it. “Thank you for getting our bags, Bell.” She grabs a few things before heading to the bathroom.

Bellamy waits until he hears the shower running before turning to Clarke. “What was that all about.”

Clarke sighs, glancing at the door. “So Madi is worried about sharing a bed with me.”

“Why? Haven’t you guys shared a bed before?” Bellamy doesn’t bother taking off his jacket because there’s no way he’s letting Clarke go to the gas station for food.

“You remember that I told you Madi had a rough time at the last house she was placed at?”

Bellamy nods. “Sure. Too many kids, not enough beds. Foster parents that didn’t care how the kids treated one another.”

“Yeah, that and more. When I took her in, they told me that she still hadn’t outgrown wetting the bed. At first, we had zero issues with it so I figured it was one of the other kids.” Clarke shakes her head. “Until one night when she woke up with a nightmare and asked to sleep with me, which of course I let her. But that night she wet the bed. I didn’t think too much of it until she wet the bed again when we had to share. I don’t know what it is, but she only wets the bed when she’s sharing the bed. And of course, she’s embarrassed that it happens and didn’t want you to know.”

Bellamy mimes zipping his lips. “I know nothing.” He’s quiet for a moment. He has an idea, but it might not be his smartest idea—at least not for him, but then again he’s also the guy who agreed to pretend to date the woman that he’s in love with so that’s pretty on par for him. “We could share.”

“What?” Clarke turns to him, eyes wide.

“Why not? It’s not the first time we’ve shared a bed and it probably won’t be the last. Hell, if we’re pretending to date we’ll probably have to share a bed at the cabin.” Bellamy shrugs before holding his hand out to her. “Can I have the keys?”

“Why?”

Bellamy chuckles. “Because I’m not going to let you drive in the snow and I don’t feel like walking to the gas station. And no, you’re not going.”

Clarke looks like she wants to argue, but thinks better of it and drops the keys in his hands. Bellamy shoots her a quick smile before ducking out of the room. Luckily, he knows Clarke and Madi well enough to be able to grab something that he knows they’ll eat, because he really doesn’t want either of them out in this weather.

Not to mention that it’s a good idea for him to get a break from Clarke while he can—which sounds terrible when he says it like that, but he’s been in love with her for years. It’s literally the reason that he and Gina had broken up. And it’s not even the first relationship that has ended because he was in love with Clarke. Which he is aware is not good which is why he’s vowed to not date anyone else until he’s over Clarke—or until he tells her how he feels, which is highly unlikely. 

Bellamy doesn’t want to ruin their friendship and he’s sure that she doesn’t feel the same way. But at this point, he doesn’t know that he has any other choice. Especially not if he’s going to be pretending to date her. How in the hell had he managed to get himself into this situation? He really is an idiot. He shakes his head, reminding himself that there’s nothing he can do about it now. He’s just going to have to suck it up.

He’s able to find them food that seems edible at the gas station before heading back. They eat quickly before turning on  _ The Grinch _ . Despite the early hour, Madi falls asleep before the movie is over. He and Clarke decide to call it an early night themselves and Bellamy lets Clarke hop in the shower before him.

While he’s in the shower he tries his best to not let his mind focus on the fact that Clarke is going to be sleeping next to him—tonight and probably for the next week until they head back home. He knows that if he focuses on it too much that he’s never going to be able to sleep.

As he steps out of the bathroom he realizes that all the lights are off. His eyes fall to the bed that he is sharing with Clarke. She’s on her side, eyes shut and he thinks she might be asleep already. Well, maybe that will make it easier for him? Who the hell knows. He’s sleeping in pajama pants—something he never usually wears to bed—but can’t sleep with a shirt on so he hopes that won’t be an issue.

He climbs into the bed, rolling on his side to watch Clarke sleep for a few minutes before letting his eyes fall shut. He thinks that it will take him a while to sleep so he’s pleasantly surprised when he feels sleep pulling him under almost immediately.

* * *

Clarke wakes up slowly, very warm, and with giggles filling the room. She blinks slowly, eyes falling to Madi who is laying in the bed opposite hers giggling. Clarke frowns, still half asleep, as she tries to figure out what has set Madi off. And why the hell is she so hot?

She tries to lift a hand and that’s when she realizes why she’s so hot—Bellamy is draped over her, bare chest pressed against her back, and his nose buried in her hair. She’d forgotten for a moment that they’d been sharing a bed. She glances back at Madi and can’t help but grin.

“And what’s so funny?”

Madi points at Clarke and Bellamy. “You’re trapped. Bell trapped you.”

“And you better be careful, little girl,” Bellamy growls from behind her, sending chills up and down Clarke’s spine. “Or I’m going to trap you next.”

Madi slaps a hand over her mouth, shaking her head. She can’t seem to stop giggling but she’s at least trying.

Bellamy’s arm lifts off of her and he slowly moves away. “Sorry about that. Guess I should’ve warned you that I'm a cuddler.”

“That in no way surprises me.” Clarke forces herself to laugh as she sits up but she refuses to look at Bellamy—afraid of what he might see in her eyes. “Miss Madi, did you already go to the bathroom?”

“Yes, Clarke.” Madi nods. “I changed too.” She gestures to show that she did indeed get herself dressed.

“Excellent. Thank you for that.” Clarke finally risks a glance over her shoulder, finding Bellamy sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her. “Why don’t you go ahead and use the bathroom, get dressed.”

“Sure.” Bellamy stands, not glancing at her as he grabs his bag before heading into the bathroom.

Madi watches her silently for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, you know you can always ask me anything.” Clarke stands, stretching.

“Is Bell your new boyfriend?”

Clarke jerks to a stop and turns to face Madi. “No. Why do you ask?”

Madi shrugs. “He just acts like your boyfriend.”

Clarke nods slowly, taking a deep breath. She needs to talk to Madi about her and Bellamy anyway—this is as good of an opening as any she’s going to get. “So, we’re not dating, but we will be telling our friends that when we get to the cabin.”

“Why?”

“Because some people are nosy and don’t like to let other people live their lives.” Clarke shakes her head. How do you explain fake dating to a six-year-old?

Madi shrugs. “Okay, but why don’t you date Bell for real?”

“Because it’s not like that between us—we’re just friends.” It’s a lie that Clarke is used to saying—not that it’s a complete lie. Bellamy just isn’t interested in her that way and that’s fine. 

Madi continues to look at her for a moment before shrugging. “If you say so.”

Clarke laughs. “I do say so. But we need you to pretend that Bellamy is my boyfriend too so that they’ll believe it.”

“Okay.” 

Clarke isn’t sure that Madi understands, but the conversation comes to an end when the bathroom door opens and Bellamy steps out. She avoids his eyes as she moves around him and into the bathroom. She doesn’t need him to see how much waking up in his arms affected her. 

She leans back against the door as soon as it’s closed and takes a deep breath. It is going to be a long week of her pretending that she’s in love with Bellamy—well, that part won’t be a lie. The part that will be a lie is when she’s alone with Bellamy and pretending she isn’t in love with him. What a mess. She just hopes that Madi is okay with all of this, but she trusts that if she’s not she will tell her. 

* * *

They make good time to the cabin and Bellamy sees that it’s just after ten when they pull up. With any luck, most of their friends will just be getting up. He climbs out of the car and makes his way to the trunk as Clarke helps Madi from the car.

“Don’t forget,” he hears Clarke say to Madi. “Bellamy is my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it.” 

Bellamy chuckles to himself at her response. He feels a little bad for Clarke if she’s already this sassy at six. His attention is drawn to the cabin when he hears the front door open.

“Madi! Madi! Madi!” Harper and Monty’s five-year-old son Jordan comes running out of the house in his pajamas toward Madi.

Madi doesn’t hesitate, dodging around Clarke to run at Jordan. They meet halfway and engulf one another in a hug, talking animatedly the whole time. Jordan grabs Madi’s hand and starts pulling her into the house just as Clarke makes her way to the back of the car.

“I really do wish Monty and Harper lived closer,” Clarke says as she takes the bag that Bellamy offers her. “Madi adores Jordan.”

“Looks like he adores her right back.” Bellamy glances down at her as he hands her another bag before grabbing the rest himself. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, Bell.” Clarke smiles up at him. “I’m sure. Now let’s get in there before they come out here looking for us.”

Bellamy follows Clarke up the walkway and into the house only to find Octavia standing there with her hands on her hips.

“Hey, O.” Bellamy shakes his head when she doesn’t move, blocking him and Clarke from moving any further into the cabin.

“Your child just came in and announced that Bellamy is your boyfriend.” Octavia turns to stare at Clarke. “Is this some kind of joke?”

Well, there went easing into it. “No.”

Octavia’s head snapped to look at Bellamy. “And you didn’t think you should tell me?”

“Serves you right.” Clarke laughs. “I heard you were trying to set him up.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know he wasn’t single when neither of you told me!” Octavia throws her hands in the area, but she’s smiling. “I’m glad the two of you finally got your heads out of your asses and got together. It’s about time.”

Bellamy blinks at Octavia for a moment, not sure that he’s heard her correctly. But before he can dwell on that too much, he hears yelling from further into the cabin.

“Pay up, fuckers!” 

Bellamy frowns. He’s pretty sure that’s Murphy and he’s also pretty certain that the children probably heard him. He looks to Octavia again. “What is that all about?”

Octavia grimaces. “Don’t be mad.”

“Mad about what?” Clarke asks, eyes narrowed.

“How about you just come find out yourself?” Octavia spins on her heel and takes off, practically running away from them.

Bellamy sets the bags on the floor before grabbing Clarke’s from her. “We’ll leave these here for a minute while we see what’s going on.”

“Okay.” Clarke reaches out, sliding her hand in his. “Gotta play the part right?” 

He must’ve given her a strange look. He shrugs as they follow the path that his sister had just taken. They find everyone in the kitchen and it looks like someone was in the process of making breakfast. 

Murphy is standing in front of Miller, hand extended. “Give me my money.”

“No.”

“But I won,” Murphy demands.

“And what exactly did you win, Murphy?” Bellamy asks, leaning against the doorframe, pulling Clarke back against him as he watches the shenanigans going on in front of him.

Murphy spins around, eyes wide. “Bellamy. Clarke. So glad you guys could make it.” He considers them a moment before shrugging. “We had a bet about when the two of you would get together. I won.”

“You bet on Clarke and me?” Bellamy asks, eyebrows shooting up.

Raven saunters over, pulling Clarke away from Bellamy and in for a hug. “Of course we did. This bet’s been going since college.”

“You’re serious?” Clarke asks as she pulls away.

Miller huffs. “Sadly, yes. And  _ I _ had more faith in the two of you so I thought you’d get together in college—not nearly ten years later.”

Bellamy just stands there blinking at their friends—their friends that apparently had a betting pool on when, and not if, he and Clarke would get together. Why the hell is he friends with them again?

“You’re all a bunch of idiots.” Clarke shakes her head before moving in to hug everyone else. 

Bellamy glances around, finding Madi and Jordan playing on the floor. He smiles to himself before pushing off the door frame and making his way into the room, hugging everyone—even though he’s annoyed at the fact that they were betting on his life. But honestly? He’s not even a little bit surprised. 

Once he’s said hello to everyone he calls out, “I’m going to grab the bags and bring them upstairs.”

Clarke turns to him from her spot between Octavia and Raven. “Do you need some help?”

“Nope, I’ll get it.” Bellamy shakes his head. It would probably be good to take a moment for himself—away from Clarke. He needs to get his head on straight before Clarke starts pretending to be his doting girlfriend.

He makes his way back down the hallway, somehow managing to grab all of the bags, and makes his way carefully up the stairs. He doesn’t need to ask where to put the bags because Clarke always gets the master bedroom which means that this year he also gets the master bedroom. He pushes open the door at the end of the hallway and sighs as his eyes land on the bed. It’s a king-size bed which means it’s plenty big enough for both of them, but if his body betrays him like it had the previous night, he’ll probably still end up draped over Clarke. 

The part that really gets Bellamy about waking up wrapped around Clarke is that he’s shared a bed with other people like Murphy and he didn’t wake up with his arms around Murphy—although he did wake up with Murphy spooning him, which hadn’t been so bad. But his body is betraying his feelings for her while he’s sleeping. Clarke didn’t seem to mind, but would she say something if she did? 

Bellamy huffs, setting the bags down. This is a terrible idea—he’s a moron. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He can do this. It’ll be fine. Right?

Knowing that if he takes too much time up here someone will come looking for him, Bellamy heads back downstairs. As he makes his way back to the kitchen he can hear the sounds of cooking and smells bacon, causing his stomach to let out a loud rumble. 

Octavia, who is standing just inside the doorway, turns to him with wide eyes. “Look, I know that Clarke isn’t a great cook, but please tell me you’re not starving yourself.”

“Hey!” Clarke calls out without looking up from the pancake that is currently cooking. “I resemble that remark.”

Bellamy isn’t even conscious of the smile that spreads across his face as he watches her until Octavia calls him on it. 

“I’m serious, Bell,” Octavia says softly, for his ears only. “I’m glad that you finally stopped overthinking it and got with Clarke. The two of you have been in love with each other for years and you’re perfect for each other.”

“Uh...yeah…” Bellamy is at a loss for words as he turns to look at Octavia. Octavia, who is Clarke’s best friend, is telling him that Clarke is in love with him. But she’s not, right? She can’t be. That doesn’t make sense because she would’ve said something, wouldn’t she? But as soon as the thought passes through his mind he reminds himself that he didn’t say anything over the years. 

Without saying anything he turns back to Clarke finding her watching him, a small smile on her lips. Huh. Well, this changes things.

“Clarke! Do not let that pancake burn!” Murphy yells causing Clarke’s head to jerk back to the griddle. “If you burn it, you’re out of the kitchen.”

“Jesus, Murph. Take a chill pill.” Clarke rolls her eyes, but quickly flips the pancake. “And need I remind you that I did not ask to help. You ordered me to help.”

Bellamy laughs to himself before turning to press a kiss to Octavia’s head. “I better go help her before they kill each other.”

“Good call.”

Bellamy walks over and yanks the spatula from Clarke’s hand, nudging her out of the way. “I’ll take over from here.”

“Your lack of confidence in my ability to make pancakes hurt,” Clarke says as she pouts.

“Does it really, though?” Bellamy smirks as he glances down at her. And damn if he doesn’t want to kiss her right there in front of everyone—which he would do if they were actually together, but they’re not so he won’t. But he is beginning to think that he and Clarke do need to have a conversation. If Octavia is to be believed Clarke might just feel the same about him as he does about her. 

Bellamy turns his attention back to the pancakes as a thrill rushes through him at the idea. Now he’ll just have to find time to get her alone so they can have that conversation—which is easier said than done with these idiots. 

* * *

Clarke looks around the kitchen once more to make sure that she didn’t miss anything. Christmas Eve is coming to a close and they spent a good portion of the day baking cookies, pies, and bread for their Christmas dinner. While the others finish up the decorating Clarke offered to clean up the kitchen which had earned her some funny looks.

Clarke gets it—she’s not a fan of cleaning—but she needs a little bit of space from Bellamy. He’s been plastered to her side pretty much since they got to the cabin, which makes sense seeing as they’re supposed to be dating—but it is not good for her mental health. Because she keeps finding herself imagining that it’s real, that Bellamy is just as in love with her as she is with him. Which he’s not. 

She’s not sure how she’s going to make it through this week, but she’ll do it because she’s stubborn as hell and she’d told Bellamy that she would. She just hopes that it won’t completely break her.

Satisfied that the kitchen is as clean as it’s going to get she makes her way to the family room. She pauses in the doorway and watches her friends—her family. It looks like they’ve finished decorating since everyone is sitting around arguing about what Christmas movie to watch. The only person she doesn’t see is Bellamy.

“Hey,” Bellamy calls from directly behind her and she can’t help jump a bit.

She turns around slowly to find him standing very close to her, smiling down at her with a look in his eyes that she can’t quite place. “Hey. The place looks great.” She gestures behind her.

“I was a little surprised that you chose to clean instead of decorating—which I know is your favorite part of the holidays.” Bellamy steps closer to her, in her space now and Clarke is finding it hard to breathe.

Clarke presses her back against the doorframe as Bellamy’s hand moves to the side of her head—as if she could give herself more space that way. “Well, someone has to clean up. I figured I’d take one for the team.”

“Oh, did you now?” Bellamy smirks down at her. “I’ve been trying to get you alone all day.”

Clarke frowns. “You have? Why?”

“You and I need to have a conversation,” he starts, but is interrupted by Jasper letting out a yell.

“Kiss!” Jasper yells, pointing at them.

Clarke and Bellamy both turn to Jasper with a frown. “What are you going on about now?” Bellamy asks, an edge to his voice.

“Mistletoe!”

Clarke glances above them and sure enough, there is a sprig of mistletoe hanging over their heads. It isn’t the first time that they’ve been caught under the mistletoe together, but it’s the first time that they’ve been pretending to date so she’s sure that a kiss to the cheek isn’t going to suffice for their friends. Her eyes meet Bellamy’s and she doesn’t know what to do. She can’t kiss him because if she does, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to stop. 

Bellamy doesn’t say anything as he continues to watch her. She doesn’t know what he sees but suddenly he’s dipping his head toward her and her eyes fall shut. The moment his lips brush hers, she’s wrapping her hands in his shirt and pulling him closer. 

She lets out a small moan as his tongue grazes her lips, all thoughts rushing out of her mind when it slips between her lips. She’s brought back to reality when he pulls away suddenly, both of them breathing hard.

Clarke can barely hear her friends whistling and cheering over hers and Bellamy’s ragged breathing as she meets his eyes. For the first time, she begins to wonder if maybe Bellamy does feel the same.

Bellamy swallows hard before stepping back, grabbing her hand as he turns to their friends. “You guys go ahead and start whatever movie you decide on. Clarke and I need to talk.”

“Yeah, talk. Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Murphy snarks, letting out a yelp as Clarke assumes either Emori or Raven—or both—smacks him. 

Clarke doesn’t say anything as she follows Bellamy from the room, up the stairs, and toward the master bedroom. Her thoughts are a jumble and each time she tries to grasp onto a thread of thought, the kiss presses itself to the forefront of her mind and the thought is gone. 

Bellamy drops her hand as soon as he pushes into the bedroom, leaving Clarke to push the door shut behind them. She leans back against it as Bellamy begins to pace. Even if she could form a cohesive thought at this moment she doesn’t think she would say anything. When Bellamy gets like this it’s usually best to let him have time. This is what he does when he has something to say but is having problems figuring out how to word it.

Clarke waits with bated breath. It could go either way—he could either make her dreams come true with his words or send her world crashing down around her. As much as she hopes that it’s the former, a large part of her is sure that it’s going to be the latter. 

Suddenly Bellamy comes to a stop and turns to her, staring at her for a moment. Then he’s moving quickly toward her, hands cupping her face. “I’m in love with you and I have been for years. I don’t want this to be fake.”

Clarke slumps against the door, eyes falling shut in relief. She sighs, smiling as she looks back up at him. “I love you too, Bellamy.”

“Oh thank god,” Bellamy mutters before his lips are crashing down on hers once more. 

Clarke quickly loses herself in the kiss and though she doesn’t know for sure what will come of her and Bellamy—although she has a pretty good idea—she rates this as her best Christmas ever. She doesn’t know how anything can top the feeling of realizing that the man that she’s in love with—her best friend—is also in love with her. But she looks forward to finding out. 

  
  



End file.
